India is joining the global race in low-altitude economy. Sarla Aviation, India’s pioneering force in urban air mobility and advanced aircraft systems, has announced to establish a 500-acre aerospace giga campus, the world’s biggest sky factory, in Andhra Pradesh.

Sarla Aviation is planning to establish an aerospace giga campus in Andhra Pradesh. (Source: Sarla Aviation)

“With the world’s biggest sky factory, we want to make India a nerve center for the next era of flight. Our goal is simple, let India design, build, test, fly, and operate the world’s most advanced eVTOL systems from one integrated campus,” commented Rakesh Gaonkar, Co-Founder & CTO of Sarla Aviation.

The company has signed the formal MoU for this project and handed it over by visionary Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, in the presence of Shri Ram Mohan Naidu, Hon’ble Union Minister of Civil Aviation and Shri B.C. Janardhan Reddy, Hon’ble Minister for Roads & Buildings and Infrastructure & Investment, Government of Andhra Pradesh.

Signing ceremony of the MoU.

With an initial investment of ₹1,300 crore (approx. US$144.3 million) and significant additional investment planned in the future, the project positions India as a global contender in future aviation technologies.

From manufacturing to testing and training: Fully integrated lifecycle for eVTOL

Spread across 500-acres, the next-generation integrated Urban Air Mobility (UAM) giga facitliy will manufacture electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Once operational, the giga campus will become India’s first fully integrated ecosystem for eVTOL manufacturing, flight testing, certification, training, and maintenance. Designed to international aerospace standards, the facility will have the capacity to produce up to 1,000 aircraft every year, making it one of the largest eVTOL manufacturing hubs worldwide.

The sky factory will bring together advanced manufacturing lines for composites, powertrain, wire harnesses, landing gear systems, flight control computers and embedded systems, supported by India’s largest wind tunnel and a dedicated two-kilometre runway and purpose-built VTOL testing pads.

It will also house modern R&D labs, simulation environments, pilot training centers, and MRO units, enabling the entire lifecycle of eVTOL aircraft to be built and supported within India for the first time.

In addition, the campus is being designed with sustainability at its core, integrating renewable energy systems, water-recycling and zero-liquid-discharge mechanisms, and circular-economy practices for composites and metals. Large green buffers and biodiversity conservation zones are planned to ensure environmentally responsible growth.

Ground testing for eVTOL demonstrator

Sarla Aviation has also commenced the ground testing for its half-scale eVTOL demonstrator – SYLLA SYL-X1, at its Bengaluru test facility. With a 7.5-meter wingspan, SYL-X1 represents the largest and most advanced private eVTOL demonstrator of its kind currently under development in India.